Start a Destination Imagination® (DI) Team
You have heard about Destination Imagination (DI) and now you want to start a team and participate in the Challenge Experience. Fantastic! Wisconsin DI (WIDI) is here to help you every step of the way.
While DI is often known as an extracurricular activity in the school environment, wherever youth are gathering regularly, then a Challenge Experience team is possible!
The Challenge Experience can work for:
- Afterschool or out-of-school time programs
- In-school enrichment time
- Homeschool co-ops
- STEAM/STEM clubs and classrooms
- International Baccalaureate & Middle Years Programs
- Montessori classrooms (3rd grade & up)
- Library and museum youth programs
- Gifted and talented programs
- Families, friends, and community groups
The basic ingredients are at least two team members and an adult (18+) Team Manager (TM).
Have that? Great! So what are the next steps?
Video: Destination Imagination: The Challenge Experience
Create a DI Account
If you are new to Destination Imagination, you will need to create an account with DI. Creating an account does not obligate you to purchase a team number or participate in the program. An account is needed to be a team number purchaser, Team Manager, Appraiser, or even a Support Volunteer at any tournament throughout the season.
Purchase a Team Number
What is a Team Number?
- A Team Number is a unique membership number permitting a team to present its Challenge solution at a local DI event/tournament and be eligible to qualify for Global Finals. A team uses the same team number throughout a season (July - May). A new team number is needed for each season. Every participating team needs its own team number.
- A Team Number can be used for a team of 2-7 participants for competitive Team Challenges. Teams solving the Early Learning (non-competitive Challenge) may have 2 or more participants.
Each Team Number includes access to:
- Quick Start Guide that gives an overview of the season and the Creative Process. Here is the 2024-25 Quick Start Guide.
- All seven (7) brand new Team Challenges. This includes the rules, criteria, and scoring breakdown for each Challenge.
- Roadmap: Guide for Team Managers. This valuable resource guides teams through the season from the Creative Process, choosing a Challenge, understanding the Challenge Experience, meeting agendas, practice Instant Challenges, preparing for tournaments, and more.
- Rules of the Road. This document contains all of the rules and procedures required to participate in a tournament. Regardless of the selected Team Challenge, teams need to review Rules of the Road to learn the details of the Challenge Experience, to prepare for tournaments, and to make sure Team Challenge and Instant Challenge solutions fit within the rules.
- Instant Challenge Practice Sets are provided for both the Early Learning and competitive levels
- Access to exclusive online training modules for all assigned Team Managers (TMs). This online learning system allows TMs to get the needed training at their convenience.
- Team Challenge Clarification system allows teams to ask the International Challenge Masters (ICMs) questions regarding their chosen Challenge when the rules seem unclear.
Starting July 15, 2024, you can go to shop.destinationImagination.org to purchase a Team Number and purchase or submit a Team Manager Background Check. All Challenge Materials will be available starting August 1, 2024, to all teams with an assigned Team Manager with an approved background check on file with DIHQ .
Team Number Pricing
DIHQ collects $165 per team number and volume discounts are offered. In Wisconsin, along with the team number, you will submit an Affiliate fee of $100. These fees are non-refundable.
Each team is then eligible to present a team solution at a local tournament and may qualify to advance to Global Finals. Local, state, and Global Finals tournament entry fees are separate and are paid upon registration for each tournament. Any costs incurred by a team while developing their Challenge solution (ie for purchasing materials) are the responsibility of the team and are not covered in the team number or tournament registration fees.
Assign a Team Manager to the Team Number and Get A Background Check
Once a team number is purchased, a Team Manager must be assigned to that number. This person will need a DI account and a Background Check. Team Manager(s) can purchase or submit their own Background Checks separately.
You do not need to purchase Background Checks if a school or organization is using the Background Check Group Waiver Request available at destinationimagination.org/background-check.
Download The Challenge Materials and Start Meeting!
As of August 1, 2024, once a team number has been purchased and a Team Manager has an approved background check on file with DIHQ, the Challenge Materials and all supporting documentation (see above) will be available in the DI Resources Area: https://resources.destinationimagination.org/resources.php.
To access the Resources Area, you will log in with the same email and password used to purchase the team number. If someone else such as a program coordinator purchased the team number on your behalf, you will need to create an account with DI. Pass along the email used to create your account to the team number purchaser so they can add you as the Team Manager for that team number.
Determine At Which Level Your Team Will Participate
Age and grade requirements for the Challenge Experience
Students from pre-K through university level participate in the Destination Imagination Challenge Program. The following are the age/grade requirements to participate in the 2024-25 Destination Imagination Challenge Experience:
- EARLY LEARNING/RISING STARS® This non-competitive level is designed for preschool through 2nd grade and is the perfect place to get started. All teams at this level complete the same Challenge. Teams present Challenge solutions at a tournament for positive feedback and great fun! Rising Stars teams are allowed to have more than 7 team members
- ELEMENTARY LEVEL Kindergarten-5th Grade or no student born before June 15, 2013. 2 - 7 team members
- MIDDLE LEVEL 6th-8th Grade or no student born before June 15, 2010. 2 - 7 team members
- SECONDARY LEVEL 9th-12th Grade or no student born before June 15, 2006. 2 - 7 team members
- UNIVERSITY LEVEL Full-time, post-secondary students enrolled in college, university, trade, or technical school or in the military. College-bound high school seniors who are taking accredited courses offered by a college or university that will qualify for course credit when entering higher education. 2 - 7 team members
Teams can include team members from differing ages/grade levels, but the team's Level at competition is determined by the age/grade of the eldest member. For example, if a team is composed of 6 fifth graders and 1 sixth grader, they would compete at the Middle Level.
Teams compete against other teams in the same Challenge and same level. For example, all Middle Level Scientific teams compete against all other Middle Level Scientific teams.
Register for your first tournament!
Mid-to-late fall, Wisconsin teams will be able to register for their Regional tournaments. Team Managers and program coordinators will receive information from WIDI regarding when and where tournaments will take place and how and when to register.
Regional tournaments take place beginning in late February through mid-March with a registration deadline in January. Regional tournaments are run by volunteer Regional Directors who oversee geographical areas of the state and the location of your tournament depends on what region you are in. You can check to see what region you are in here. There is a $50 regional tournament fee plus each team is to provide a volunteer Appraiser (training is provided) and a Support Volunteer. If you need help with asking people to volunteer, let us know! It is a good idea to start asking NOW!
The Wisconsin Affiliate tournament (aka State) is run by WIDI volunteers and is usually held in early April for teams that qualify from the Regional tournaments (the top three places in each level and Challenge). There is an Affiliate tournament fee plus each team is to provide a volunteer Appraiser and a Support Volunteer. The location of the 2024-25 tournament is to be determined.
Global Finals is the international tournament run by DIHQ that takes place in late May for teams that qualify from the Affiliate tournament (the top three place in each level and Challenge).
Teams are not obligated to move on to the next tournament level.